Assigning Materials to Building Elements

There are two primary ways to assign materials in Plans: individual element assignment through the Details Panel and material proposals in Export tables.

Individual element assignment

Assign materials to single building elements using the Details Panel.

1. Navigate to your project editing view
2. Select element in the 3D viewer or element list (left panel)
3. In the Details Panel (right sidebar), find the Material field
4. Type in the search box to filter materials, or click a quick-select project material below the search box
5. The material is immediately assigned

Material search

The material search field is a searchable text input that helps you find materials quickly:

• Type to search: Enter a material name to filter the catalog
• Quick-select project materials: Below the search box, you’ll see up to 5 matching materials already added to the project
• Project materials: Materials already in the project are shown with a dot points icon
• Automatic filtering: Only materials compatible with the selected element type appear

Material details

After assigning a material, its details expand below the search box showing:

• U-value (thermal transmittance)
• BI Classification
• Thickness
• Other thermal properties

Material proposals in export tables

Assign construction proposals to groups of elements via the Export pane.

1. Open the Materials group and select Confirm that the thermal envelope is correct
2. View tables showing building elements grouped by material:
   • Walls, Floors, and Ceilings table
   • Doors and Windows table
3. Click a table row to expand it
4. Select from available material proposal templates
5. Each proposal shows construction details and thermal properties

The proposals system lets you:

• View Proposals layers and construction details
• See thermal property badges
• Edit or clear proposals
• Apply standardized construction types to multiple elements

Material assignment workflow

For single elements:

• Use the Details Panel when you need to assign materials to specific segments
• Best for individual corrections or unique elements

For grouped elements:

• Use Export table proposals when you want to apply standardized construction types
• Useful for applying the same construction to Walls, Floors, or Ceilings with similar properties

Troubleshooting

Material search not showing results

• Check your search term spelling
• Try a partial match (e.g., “brick” instead of “brick wall”)
• Material catalog may still be loading - wait a few seconds

Wrong materials in search results

• Materials are automatically filtered by element type
• Walls only show Wall-compatible materials
• Windows only show Window-compatible materials

Quick-select pills not appearing

• Pills only show when matching project materials are available
• Start assigning or creating materials to add them to the project material list